The bar was cramped, with nearly all the professional skaters, celebrities, and crew scattered around, drinks in hand. I ignored the long glances and stares from the crew. You’d think they’d be used to seeing celebrities by now. One guy in particular thought he was being discreet by holding his phone in his crossed arms, but the camera was following us across the room. I didn’t bothergetting riled up about it, though, as everyone had signed NDAs, so he couldn’t do much with the photos.
We started speaking to one of the other agents—well, Jack did. I stood beside him, ignoring their conversation and observing thebar.
Where isshe?
We’d been there twenty minutes, but I’d yet to spot Matilda.
Instead of our attendance being a complete waste of time, I took the opportunity to watch the other celebrities and their partners. The room was a mix; some partners stood together, and others stood with their friends or agents.
Asha and her partner, Alice Avril, were downing shots together at the bar, looking like besties, as Jack would say. They obviously had great chemistry, and I made a mental note to try to dig into how their rehearsals were going.
Jessica Bennett—the TV news host—and Nate looked cozy in a corner of the room. His arm was over the back of the booth, and they were turned in, facing each other. She spoke animatedly with both hands, making him laugh and flick a bit of her hair.
They are definitely fucking.
It happened a lot on film sets, so it must happen in TV, too. I’d learned the hard way that it was more drama than it was worth.
I finally spotted Matilda ordering herself a drink at the bar. She was still in her tights, shorts, and oversized hoodie from earlier, sporting her workout clothes like everyone else in the room.
The bartender smiled at Matilda as if she was the first customer he’d served all day. Moron.
She ordered her drink, and they chatted as he mixed it. Just as I’d decided to move closer to hear what they were talking about, a hand slid across her lower back. I narrowed my eyes as it began to trace small circles.
It took me a second to realize it was Mark’s. He’d been prettyscarce around the studio over the past three weeks, and I’d actively tried to avoidhim.
A few skaters noticed the overly familiar greeting between the two but didn’t look shocked.
Casually, Matilda stepped out of his hold, and his arm fell to his side. I could just about make out his frown from where we stood. He rested his arm on the bar, trying to enter her personal space again, not looking pleased by her evasion. She played with the hem of her sweater, tugging it down slightly before dropping it and pulling her ponytail over her shoulder.
He scanned her face, his eyes hardening at whatever she said.
And as if by magic, my fist tingled like it was ready to hit something.
“What’s up with them?” I asked, interrupting whatever Jack and the other agent were talking about. They turned their heads to where I nodded.
“Don’t know,” Jack answered, sipping his beer. “She was a bit cagey about him the other week.”
The other agent stepped in closer, voice hushed. “They used to date, I think.”
Although that had been somewhat evident before I’d asked the question, the answer still surprised me. They were so different.
“Tony said that Mark was running his mouth about her the other day,” the other agent continued. I figured Tony must have been his celebrity client. “Speaking a load of shit that insinuated that they were together, or had been, at least.”
“Like what?” Jack probed.
“How Matilda was a good ride, but not worth the hassle, stuff like that.”
I didn’t bother to mask my disgust. Matilda might have been a pain in my ass, but hearing someone she’d trusted badmouth her—especially at her workplace—made my blood boil.
“What a dickhead,” Jack scoffed.
“Yeah, he’s some kind of narcissist. Matilda seems nice, too. It’s cruel of him…but I guess that’s showbiz.”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
“She is nice,” Jack said. At the bar, Mark’s lip curled into a disdainful smirk, slight mockery in his narrowed eyes as he tried to close in again.
Fuck this.
